Seeing the sites for less-Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site

Friday, July 05, 2013

Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site

The park is located at 139 Saint Gaudens Road Cornish, New Hampshire, 03745 This is just off of NH route 12A, 12 miles south of West Lebanon, NH

Entrance Fees: We got in for free with our pass. An entrance fee of $5.00 per person is charged for visitors age 16 and over. The receipt is valid for seven days and may be used for re-entry to the park. America the Beautiful Passes including the Annual Pass, Senior Pass (for ages 62 and older, formerly called the Golden Age Pass), Access Pass, and the new Active Military Annual Pass, are honored for entrance to the site. An annual park pass, specifically for Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site, is available for $25. As a "walk in" park, these passes allow the pass holder and three other adults entry to the park (must be present at the time, with passholder).

Recently John and I visited the home, studios and gardens of Augustus Saint-Gaudens, one of America’s greatest sculptors. We saw over 100 of his artworks in the galleries and on the grounds, from heroic public monuments to expressive portrait reliefs, and the gold coins which changed the look of American coinage. It was a great way to spend the day!

Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848-1907), created over 150 works of art. My favorite of his bronze sculptures is the "Standing Lincoln" monument.

Standing Lincoln

The Shaw Memorial remains one of sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens' most stirring and celebrated masterpieces and is considered by some to be America's greatest public monument. It also took him the longest sculpture to complete; 14 years until the unveiling in Boston in 1897.

Shaw Memorial

The sculpture's origins began after the battle of Fort Wagner, when men of the 54th proposed a memorial to Shaw near the Fort and the mass burial site. Shaw's father suggested at that time "The monument, though originated for my son, ought to bear, with his, the names of his brave officers and men, who fell and were buried with him." Because of local hostility, and the unstable ground, the memorial was never erected. The funds went instead, to the first free school for African American children in Charleston, which was named for Shaw.

My favorites are the exquisitely carved cameos, and his design for the 1907 Twenty Dollar Gold Piece, is considered America's most beautiful coin.

The grounds of the estate are lovely. We ate our lunch near the patio, and enjoyed the views of Mt. Ascutney.